Edcamp CThttps://edcampct.org
a free unconference for educators, by educatorsMon, 20 May 2019 20:40:00 +0000en
hourly
1 http://wordpress.com/https://secure.gravatar.com/blavatar/229e5693bf45384d5df8cf4494c7d41c?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fs0.wp.com%2Fi%2Fbuttonw-com.pngEdcamp CThttps://edcampct.org
Get an email when registration opens for Edcamp CT 2019!https://edcampct.org/2019/05/20/get-an-email-when-registration-opens-for-edcamp-ct-2019/
https://edcampct.org/2019/05/20/get-an-email-when-registration-opens-for-edcamp-ct-2019/#respondMon, 20 May 2019 20:38:18 +0000http://edcampct.org/?p=3205Registration will open in July, about one month before the event date. Fill out this form if you’d like to get an email as soon as registration opens!
]]>https://edcampct.org/2019/05/20/get-an-email-when-registration-opens-for-edcamp-ct-2019/feed/0sedsonPhotos from Edcamp CT 2018https://edcampct.org/2018/08/13/photos-from-edcamp-ct-2018/
https://edcampct.org/2018/08/13/photos-from-edcamp-ct-2018/#respondMon, 13 Aug 2018 13:28:54 +0000http://edcampct.org/?p=3198All photos courtesy of the amazing Tyler Varsell
]]>https://edcampct.org/2018/08/13/photos-from-edcamp-ct-2018/feed/0sedsonPhotos from Edcamp CT 2017https://edcampct.org/2017/08/25/photos-from-edcamp-ct-2017/
https://edcampct.org/2017/08/25/photos-from-edcamp-ct-2017/#respondFri, 25 Aug 2017 13:15:18 +0000http://edcampct.org/?p=2947All photos taken and shared by the talented Tyler Varsell

]]>https://edcampct.org/2016/08/15/photos-from-edcamp-ct-2016/feed/0sedsonPhotos from Edcamp CT 2015https://edcampct.org/2015/08/24/photos-from-edcamp-ct-2015/
https://edcampct.org/2015/08/24/photos-from-edcamp-ct-2015/#respondTue, 25 Aug 2015 00:12:16 +0000http://edcampct.org/?p=2017All photos taken and shared by the talented Tyler Varsell and Liss Couch-Edwards
]]>https://edcampct.org/2015/08/24/photos-from-edcamp-ct-2015/feed/0sedsonPhotos from Edcamp CT 2014https://edcampct.org/2014/08/18/photos-from-edcamp-ct-2014/
https://edcampct.org/2014/08/18/photos-from-edcamp-ct-2014/#respondMon, 18 Aug 2014 17:42:59 +0000http://edcampct.org/?p=1808All photos taken and shared by the talented Tyler Varsell
]]>https://edcampct.org/2014/08/18/photos-from-edcamp-ct-2014/feed/0sedsonEDCAMPS ARE DIFFERENT…THEY GIVE ME HOPE.https://edcampct.org/2014/07/16/edcamps-are-differentthey-give-me-hope/
https://edcampct.org/2014/07/16/edcamps-are-differentthey-give-me-hope/#commentsWed, 16 Jul 2014 17:57:23 +0000http://edcampct.org/?p=1730Continue reading →]]>If Paul Bogush isn’t a part of your professional learning network, you are missing out. He exemplifies the role of teacher as “lead learner,” he is creative and progressive in his instructional design, he’s committed to nurturing empathy among his students, and he generously shares the work and reflections that take place in his classroom. He is also an EdCamp enthusiast, having participated in EdCamps, large and small, throughout the east coast. He even represented EdCamp CT when attending EdCamp US DOE this past June. When contemplating whom to ask to write a post about insights into the EdCamp movement, I immediately thought of Paul. Below is a post well worth reading. And if you’re joining us at EdCamp CT on 8/15, please be sure to connect with Paul. And treat him to a milkshake if you have the chance.

EDCAMPS ARE DIFFERENT…THEY GIVE ME HOPE.

My daughter and I went to the Warped Tour yesterday.

Let me start over…I drove my daughter and her friend to the Warped Tour yesterday and then spent 10 hours on my own navigating a massive concert venue with six stages (loved it!). The Warped tour is one of those concerts that if you mention it to someone you either get eyes wide open excitement, or one of those blank stares in which their head slowly tilts to one side. Hardcore fans go to Warped and folks often travel pretty far to get to a show. Warped brings together bands like Vanna and Echosmith (Two that I went to see). It also brings together fans in skinny jeans and those that wear jeans that cover little that they really should have just bean left home(it was too hot for my skinny jeans). You have folks in plaid, and folks in black. It is a neat eclectic mix. Everyone has fun together. Everyone goes home happy. For the type of all day concert it is, I have never seen fewer fights (zero), fewer drunken idiots (zero), or less drug use (zero). What seems like a scary place to be (why is it called Warped anyway?), is a pretty cool community of folks coming together for one reason–their passion for music. They just do it differently than most.

I am driving up to my first Edcamp of the summer tomorrow. Edcamp is one of those teacher conferences that if you mention it to someone you sometimes get eyes wide open excitement, but usually you get one of those blank stares in which their head slowly tilts to one side. Hardcore teachers go to Edcamps and folks often travel pretty far to get to one. Edcamp brings together educators who teach high school with those that teach elementary. You have teachers from the city, and those from the country (well, east coast country). It also brings together teachers who come with all sorts of electronic gizmos, and teachers who are happy to leave all the electronics home. You have folks who like to talk a lot, and folks who are happy sitting in the back row of each session. It is a neat eclectic mix. Everyone has fun together. Everyone goes home happy. For the type of conference it is, I have never seen fewer fights (zero), fewer drunken idiots (zero), or less drug use (zero)…folks also don’t complain about kids, gripe about the lack of supplies, or swear about parents. What seems like a weird conference to attend (what the heck is an unconference anyway?), is a pretty cool community of folks coming together for one reason–their passion to provide the very best learning experiences for the kids in their classrooms. They just do it differently than most.

The session topics are different, that is why you should attend. The sessions that are offered are unlike any other conference that I attend, unless I use my time machine (I don’t have a time machine). The topics of many of the sessions at the very first Edcamps are just becoming part of the conversation in mainstream ed-circles in 2014. The topics of the sessions in 2014′s Edcamps will just start to be mainstream 4-6 years from now. You will meet people who are doing things that NO ONE ELSE IS DOING ANYWHERE.

The organization is different. You have no idea what to expect when you enter. When people walk in they decide whether or not they want to organize a session based on who else shows up (if it is a twitter strong audience, no sessions on twitter), based on what the attendees request (if someone shows up wanting to learn about twitter there’s a session on twitter), and based on what occurs spontaneously (you can skip all morning sessions and have that conversation in the hallway with your twitter idol). When you attend a session it is considered an insult to stay in it if you are not getting what you need from it. People support you getting up and walking into another session. Sessions are not stand and deliver, they tend to be more conversational. You’ll find many rooms with chairs in circles rather than rows. There are sessions with three people, and some with fifty people. It does not matter how many people attend, I have always found the sessions with the fewest attendees to be the most intimidating at the start, but the most awesome by the end. Yes, Edcamps do fuel extroverts, but it is totally ok and acceptable to just come, keep you mouth closed, sit back, and take it all in.

The people who attend are different. Ever person there has chosen to take their day off and attend. You don’t hear complaining at Edcamps, you hear solutions being tossed around. Even if you don’t come away from an Edcamp with a single new idea, you do come away with a new found energy. There are very few ed-conferences that can match Edcamps participants’ energy. I am not talking about get-up-and-dance energy, just simple positive energy. The energy at Edcamps remind you why you wanted to teach. The energy you gain protects you from all the negativity that exists in “the teacher’s room.” It makes you realize that there are people just like you out there, and sometimes that is all you need to keep fighting back in your home district. If all you come home with is hope, that is reason enough to attend.

The cost and food is different. It’s FREE. It costs you nothing to get in, and nothing to eat. You get an entire day for $0.00. And most Edcamps now specialize in a certain food or have some specialty that I look forward to. There are Edcamps that serve great burgers, some have special chips, and I know they are from some chain store but EdcampNJ have these awesome cinnamon bun things that are worth the trip for me. I am still hoping one Edcamp will start serving milkshakes, I would travel pretty far for those.

I do think there are still issues Edcamps need to iron out. At some established Edcamps too many people are coming with canned presentations they set up in advance, those Edcamps are soon going to lose their “organic” label. Some Edcamps are attracting more people who are no longer teachers and who lead too many sessions. Some brand new Edcamps are attracting too many new teachers so the session board stays pretty bare because some folks are more comfortable experiencing an Edcamp before deciding to present at one. And one weakness specifically for me is that too many Edcamps really adhere to the no stand and deliver rule for session. Just like I love to hear a good keynote, I don’t mind sitting in a session for an hour and listening to someone talk about something amazing. Not all Edcamps have a “request a session” built into it. I think that is a must. Newbies might not get involved presenting, but they can certainly help drive the content of the session board through their requests.

I have been to over 15 Edcamps. I have been to the first content specific Edcamp, first student run Edcamp, first Edcamp at the Department of Education in Washington, DC, the largest Edcamp, and probably the smallest(doesn’t seem anyone keeps a record for that ;), tomorrow will be Edcamprsd6 in Litchfield, CT. Edcamprsd6 is a morning only Edcamp run on four successive Tuesdays (they have awesome food too). It will be a morning with teachers in which I won’t have to talk about data teams, performance tasks, or uploading documents for my evaluation. Next month I will be driving up to EdcampCT. Both are small cozy Edcamps full of folks that are different, and even if I don’t come home with any new ideas, I know I will come home with a little more energy, a free lunch, and a lot more hope.

After reading the description of an “unconference,” I was immediately intrigued by the format and how different it was from the etiquette of the more traditional conferences that I had attended. I also felt compelled to sign up because Edcamp is designed for educators and run by educators. I thought to myself, finally a professional development opportunity that is geared towards me and places a premium on participant experience, sharing and collaboration.

Before I continue, you should know that I love going to conferences and over the course of my eight-year teaching career, I have been to at least one (I’m being conservative) major foreign language, teaching or technology conference a year. I was a repeat conferencer because I enjoyed meeting other like-minded educators, learning about the latest research or practices in my field and gaining valuable resources and ideas that I could apply to improve my courses or enhance the best practices at my school. While I wouldn’t say that I was dissatisfied with any of my prior conference experiences- they just are not Edcamp.

Edcamp changed my view of how to organize professional learning opportunities and connected me to a well established network of talented professionals who discuss teaching and learning everyday, not just for a day or two at a time like a traditional conference.

So, what exactly were my take-aways from Edcamp CT, and why was it so valuable for me?

Well, first I learned about a variety of useful apps like Explain Everything,Poll Everywhere and Zite and expanded my understanding of Google Apps as collaborative tools. This knowledge was a game changer for me as I was just beginning to use my iPad as a teaching and learning device.

But perhaps my biggest take-away was understanding how to tap into the power of Twitter for professional development. I learned how to find and filter interesting and relevant content, how to share content and how to connect with others. After Edcamp CT, I had the makings of a robust professional learning network that continues to connect me with excellent resources and educators. #priceless

Oh yeah, did I mention that all of these monumental learning experiences were FREE. Hard to believe isn’t it! My advice is if you can, attend an Edcamp! You won’t regret it!